1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel (PDP), and more particularly, to a structure of barrier ribs of a PDP which reduces noise and vibration generated during operating the PDP, and a PDP having the barrier ribs.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Recently, PDPs have recently attracted much attention as a replacement for conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) display devices. In PDPs, a discharge gas is sealed inside two substrates on which a plurality of electrodes are formed, a discharge voltage applied to the electrodes, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation generated by the discharge excites a phosphor material formed in a predetermined pattern to form a desired image.
Such PDPs use a discharge mechanism, which emits light by applying a high voltage inside discharge cells and causing discharge. Shock waves are generated by the discharge inside the discharge cells. These shock waves hit barrier ribs partitioning the discharge cells, thereby causing noise and vibration.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a portion of a PDP including a front substrate 11 and a rear substrate 12 at which noise and vibration occur most.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, noise and vibration occur most at edges 20 of the PDP. The edges 20 almost coincide with areas at which dummy barrier ribs are disposed to prevent edge effects of non-uniform discharge. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/654,194, published on Apr. 22, 2004, discloses a general concept of dummy barrier ribs, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Therefore, structures of the dummy barrier ribs and barrier ribs adjacent to the dummy barrier ribs have a close correlation with generating and reducing noise and vibration. A conventional PDP failed to include barrier ribs structured to efficiently reduce noise and vibration of the edges 20, and thus, reducing product values and weakening product competitiveness.